GENERAL COPYRIGHT/DISCLAIMER:
SuperGirl/Kara, Alex, Maggie, Eliza, J'onn, Winn, MonEl and all other characters who have appeared in the series SuperGirl, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of the CW. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.
NOTE: All works remain the © copyright of the original author. These may not be republished without the author's consent.
MILD VIOLENCE WARNING/DISCLAIMER:
This story depicts a mild scene of violence (robbery shooting). Readers who are disturbed by or sensitive to this type of depiction may wish to read something other than this story.
HURT/COMFORT WARNING/DISCLAIMER:
This story may be best classified as a Hurt/Comfort Story involving the characters SuperGirl/Kara and Alex, Maggie, Eliza, J'onn, Winn and MonEl, Superman. Readers who are disturbed by or sensitive to this type of issue may wish to read something other than this story.
Description: Someone has been slowly poisoning SuperGirl. Can Alex, Eliza, Maggie, J'onn and the DEO find out who it is and stop it before they succeed in killing her?
Fiction T
Chapter 1
Kara had the comforter pulled up over her legs as she sat looking at the television. She looked over at the half eaten pizza on the table….for some reason she couldn't eat it all but it had been a long day and the impending fatigue probably had to do with the loss of appetite.
Several minutes passed. Suddenly Kara felt herself jump from a knock at her apartment door – "hmmm, must have dozed off" Kara thought to herself as she removed her glasses and looked at the door to see who was visiting this late on a Friday. She couldn't stop the big smile from coming across her face as she saw Alex and Maggie on the other side of the door.
Jumping up from the sofa, Kara noticed she felt a little lightheaded. Shrugging it off she continued to open the door. "We've got ice cream!" Alex said happily as her and Maggie entered the apartment. Alex quickly spied the half eaten pizza on the table that was now definitely showing the signs of being cold. "Into cold pizza are we?" "No", Kara laughed, "just couldn't eat it all." Alex suddenly turned serious – "are you okay?" "Sure I am – just a long day" Kara replied laughing.
Maggie smiled, "So this is how SuperGirl spends the evening – pizza and TV." Alex held up the ice cream container, "can we offer SuperGirl some ice cream?" "You could, but I don't think I could eat it right now" Kara said with a yawn. "Kara – are you sure you're okay? You never turn down food." Alex could not stop the concern from showing on her face.
Maggie, also knowing Kara's history for gobbling down anything that wasn't tied down, shared Alex's concern. "What's up Kara – Alex is right – I've never seen you turn a meal down." Laughing Kara returned to the sofa – "just a little tired – nothing a good sleep won't solve." "Well, we won't stay long – Maggie just wanted to show you that we don't always eat Vegan ice cream." "What do you mean you don't always eat it - I thought you hated Vegan ice cream all together Alex" Kara said with a quizzical look on her face. Alex laughed, "I do, but I'm starting to like it."
Chapter 2
"Ten minutes late SuperGirl" this must be a first for you" J'onn said with a serious affectionate voice. "I know, sorry J'onn, my alarm didn't go off this morning." "Since when are you dependent on an alarm to wake you up?" Alex asked as she came down from the main stairway of the DEO. "I mean, I know you sleep with one, but I always assumed that if it did not go off, you would still wake yourself up on time." "Yeah, it would seem that way" Kara said with a chuckle in her voice.
Winn interrupted, "I've got a present for you Kara" Winn said with excitement, "we've located Kardon." "Who is Kardon?" MonEl inquired with interest as he approached the group. J'onn's voice took on a tone of seriousness. "Kardon is a Fort Rozz escapee who was also imprisoned by Alura Zor-El. Bring up his picture and bio Mr. Schott." J'onn continued, "Kardon is a Marchite – a race of people known for their strength and ability to read minds up to and including mind control. Seems Kardon, according to the record history of Fort Rozz, would read and control the minds of top government officials and use that knowledge and power in the target of forming a new type of government in which he would become the head official. Needless to say it was not done in the name of being a peaceful new government. Now that he has been on earth he has caused nothing but trouble, seeking out top government officials in the hope of carrying out his plans of domination here on earth."
Kara smiled, "I can't believe we've got a location on him." "Yes we do Kara" Winn said with a smile. "He is in that empty building on the corner of Cherry Street in the West Chester section of the city." "Cool, let's go get him" Kara said turning towards MonEl. Suddenly SuperGirl dropped to her knees. "Kara?" Alex shouted as she got on her knees grabbing her sister. "Kara what's wrong?" "Nothing Alex – just lost my balance there for a minute. Happens to the best of us" Kara said with a smile as she let Alex help her stand up. "SuperGirl are you sure you're okay?" J'onn asked with concern and worry in his voice. "Yeah, I'm good – c'mon MonEl let's go get Kardon before he slips away again." J'onn and Alex worriedly looked at each other; however, before they could offer any objection, Kara and MonEl were gone.
Chapter 3
Seemed like hours to Alex waiting for SuperGirl and MonEl to return. Needless to say Kardon had put up quite a fight and had helpers. SuperGirl and MonEl were able to defeat them and were headed back to base as soon as the DEO had picked up Kardon with the van. Alex felt anxious and couldn't stop the queasiness that she felt in her stomach. The windows to the entrance of the DEO opened and SuperGirl flew in. MonEl was helping the DEO agents bring in Kardon. Alex eyed her sister as she approached both her and J'onn.
"Wow was he strong….but you can count him as another Fort Rozz escapee off the streets" SuperGirl said with a smile. "You doing okay?" Alex asked with worry in her voice. "I'm fine sis – would you stop worrying." Alex remained looking at Kara "I've got some nourishment for you – donuts and coffee. Figured maybe you didn't have time to eat this morning due to running late." Kara smiled, "many thanks Sis – but not really hungry right now." "Now I know something is wrong Kara" Alex said with a frown – "last night you didn't eat the ice cream Maggie and I brought over and now you're not hungry when there are donuts and coffee calling out your name….maybe a quick physical is in order Kara."
"I agree Supergirl" J'onn said with concern. "Would you two stop it – I'm fine – just a little tired, boy did Kardon tire me out." Alex and J'onn looked at each other with worry in their faces. SuperGirl turned to walk away from the console and stumbled. "That's it – you are going to get checked out now SuperGirl and I'm not asking – It's an order" J'onn said as he leaned over to help SuperGirl back on her feet. "Okay, okay – maybe just a quick checkup – then no more talk of something being wrong – you promise?" "I promise" Alex said as she grabbed Kara's arm and led her away.
SuperGirl laid on the bed in medbay looking up at the ceiling. She heard the beeping of the machines as they did their jobs providing Alex and the doctors with various medical data. "Are you satisfied that nothing is wrong with me?" SuperGirl asked as she looked over at Alex. "I'll let you know when I'm done analyzing the data, till then you stay put" Alex replied. Finally after several hours Alex gave Kara the 'okay' to return to duty after she had a good night's rest.
"I couldn't find anything J'onn. Her readings came back normal and I didn't take a blood analysis because I hate using Kryptonite coated needles when they are not necessary…..but I can't help thinking something is wrong." J'onn nodded his head and put his hand on Alex's shoulder. "Let's give it till tomorrow after she's had a good night's sleep and see what happens. If it still continues then I think that would justify using the needles to obtain blood samples. You did send her home?" "Yeah" Alex replied, "but Maggie and I will check on her later tonight to make sure she's okay."
Chapter 4
"Use your key Alex" Maggie instructed when their second set of knocks on Kara's apartment door went unanswered. Alex turned her key in the door and cautiously opened it. The television was on – she turned to the left of the set and there was Kara sleeping under a comforter. "Kara?" Alex called as she approached the figure sleeping on the couch. "Kara?" Alex called a second time as she lightly shook her sister. She heard a yawn followed by Kara stretching and opening her eyes. After a couple of seconds Kara seemed to register that Alex and Maggie were looking down at her with concern in their eyes.
"Alex, Maggie – what are you guys doing here?" "Just checking on you Danvers to make sure you're doing okay – needless to say Alex here would not rest until we did." Kara smiled as she rose to sit up on the couch. "Kara are you okay?" Alex asked with concern. "Yeah, I'm fine – just didn't hear the knock on the door." Kara rubbed her eyes. Alex spoke up, "We brought over some pot-stickers – think you could eat some – they're your favorite." "Sure- I am kind of hungry" Kara replied. Alex felt better – at least her sister was hungry. Maggie and Alex sat down next to Kara on the sofa. "Been sleeping all this time?" Maggie asked trying to hide the concern in her voice. "Guess so – thought I was looking at a movie – must have dozed off."
Kara picked up the pot-sticker and took a bite placing the remainder back on the napkin and the napkin back on the table. Alex waited several minutes to see if she took another bite. She didn't. "Kara – why aren't you eating?" "Just not hungry Sis." Seeing the concern in Alex's face, Kara continued, "I ate some food when I first came home and over did it." Alex looked at Kara – she never was good at telling a lie but Alex decided not to press further.
Maggie, however, took over the questioning. "You feeling okay Kara – you don't seem like your ole self." "Would you two mother hens go find someone else to worry about" Kara said laughing, "believe me I'm fine." Well, we will just stay a while longer to make sure. Three hours later, after Alex and Maggie saw Kara in her bed sound asleep – they felt assured that they could leave. "Mags, something is not right – I know it, I can feel it." Maggie looked at Alex "I know, I can feel it too."
Chapter 5
"See Alex, I'm on time today – told you all I needed was a good night's sleep." Alex eyed her sister "maybe so – we'll see." "Robbery taking place on Elm – alien presence detected" Winn stated with a smile – "sounds like a job for SuperGirl." Kara smiled, she loved Winn's enthusiasm even when announcing a crime taking place.
As Kara turned to go she saw Alex also getting ready to leave. "Where are you going?" "I'm going to help with this robbery." "I can do this by myself Alex." "Maybe so but I'm going anyway – it's my job." Kara was about to disagree when J'onn interrupted, "Good thinking Alex – there seems to be a number of them and the more the merrier." Kara took a deep breath – "okay sis, I'll see you when you get there….and be careful." Alex smiled, "you too sis, you too."
Maggie was already on scene when Alex approached. "Talk to me Mags – what's going on?" Maggie smiled, she loved it when she and Alex were working on anything together. "Seems we've got a burglary with three men, one of alien origin, holding the owner of the jewelry store hostage." "Where's SuperGirl?" Alex asked anxiously. "Inside trying to talk them into giving themselves up – you know your sister the Girl Scout – she sees the good in everyone – thought I'd let her give it a try." Alex anxiously smiled.
Looking through the glass doors, Alex could see Kara in front of what must be the store owner and three men with guns aimed in her direction. Suddenly the silence was disrupted with the sound of gunfire – the doors of the bank opened with 3 men running out – DEO agents fired back. Maggie managed to shoot one of the suspects in the shoulder. Silence.
Alex looked up and saw SuperGirl following the store owner out of the building and sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you SuperGirl" the owner said as he approached where Alex and Maggie were standing. "You're welcome" they heard SuperGirl reply back. The DEO agents and police were cuffing the prisoners – the alien one being taken by the DEO and the two humans being taken by the police. SuperGirl was still standing near the store entrance.
Alex and Maggie approached. "Good job SuperGirl" Maggie said smiling as she came near. "Alex?" SuperGirl said. "Alex…I think I've been shot….I don't feel so good…and there's blood." Alex's eyes widened as she approached her sister. Maggie approached Kara from the other side. Alex looked at her sister carefully and suddenly, there it was…blood seeping out from a wound in the abdomen –that area of her suit turning quickly crimson in color.
Alex gasped, this couldn't be, SuperGirl doesn't get shot – why didn't the bullet bounce off. Maggie took hold of Kara's right arm while Alex grabbed the left one. "Let's lay you down and take a look" Alex said as she went to help Kara. "No…no, not here" Kara said with a grimace, "it's not good for people to think something happened to SuperGirl – get me back to the van – I can walk."
Maggie and Alex slowly walked SuperGirl back to the van. They stopped twice as SuperGirl's grip on their arms tightened and she was showing signs of passing out. One of the detectives motioned to Maggie that he was waiting for her. "Stay with me Maggie" Alex said as they approached the van. "Are you kidding, I'm definitely going back to the DEO with you two." After waving the waiting detective off, Maggie proceeded to help Kara get into the van - they sat on each side of her.
Kara laid her head on Alex's shoulder once they were seated. "Alex, it hurts, really bad" Kara grimaced as tears started to form in her eyes. "I know it hurts hon but try to hang on – we'll be there soon. You must have somehow blown your powers. Listen to me, I need you to hold on to Maggie's hand, you're going to feel pressure as I press down on the wound but I need to try and stop the bleeding. Can you do that for me?" "Yes" came a soft response. Maggie grabbed hold of Kara's hand and gave a nod to Alex. Alex proceeded to press hard on the wound. Kara squeezed Maggie's hand and gritted her teeth "stop Alex….you're pressing too hard!" "Just a little bit more Kara, keep squeezing Maggie's hand." Maggie looked down at Kara "c'mon Danvers you can squeeze harder than that."
Tears streamed down Kara's face as she grimaced in pain while holding Maggie's hand. Alex kept the pressure on the wound as the van sped towards the DEO. Alex and Maggie found themselves holding back tears from seeing Kara in so much pain. "Alex?" "I'm right here Kara." "Alex…I don't remember doing anything to blow out my powers. Are you sure the bullet isn't made of kryptonite?" "Don't worry about that right now Kara – just concentrate on getting to the DEO" Alex said, her voice now trembling with concern she could no longer hide. The bleeding wouldn't slow down even with the hard pressure Alex was applying. Kara could feel herself fading in and out. "Why won't the bleeding slow down….don't you go anywhere on me Kara – please just hold on, we're almost there."
As they arrived in front of the DEO, Medics rushed up to the van with J'onn giving orders. SuperGirl opened her eyes, lifted her head which was now on Maggie's lap while Alex kept pressure on the wound. Kara clenched her teeth and tried to sit up. A wave of pain traveled throughout her stomach. Kara grimaced in pain as she felt Alex apply more pressure to the wound. "On my count of three…..one….two….three" Kara felt her body being lifted from the van and placed on a stretcher. She tried to focus...then silence.
Chapter 6
"She's been in surgery too long Maggie!" Maggie rubbed Alex's shoulder, "it just seems that way Alex – don't worry, Kara is strong and she'll make it through." "I should have been inside that store with her Maggie – three against one, I should have went inside." Maggie rubbed Alex's back while whispering in her ear that everything was going to be okay.
Dr. Wilson, dressed in scrubs, approached a waiting group consisting of J'onn, Alex, Maggie, Winn and MonEl. "How is she doctor?" J'onn asked. "She's lost a lot of blood – we will need her cousin to remedy that situation. The bullet that hit her was not Kryptonite. It was a lead core bullet. It went through her because right now she is without her powers. It did damage to several of her internal organs – without her powers, she is not healing as fast as her body is use to healing."
Alex noticed a frown on Dr. Wilson's face – "is there something else you're not telling us?" Dr. Wilson let out a deep breath, "it's not only that Kara is not healing – her body is fighting off what I can only describe as Kryptonite poisoning." "Kryptonite poisoning?" J'onn asked with worry.
Looking at Alex, Dr. Wilson asked "Have you noticed any symptoms lately regarding appetite, weakness, fatigue?" "Yes – all of those" Alex replied softly. "Someone or something is poisoning your sister very slowly with a very weak form of Kryptonite that most likely is being ingested by Kara. If and I mean if she pulls through this, it's going to happen again…the loss of power, the fatigue, all of it unless you find the source of the poison" Dr. Wilson stated with concern. "So, SuperGirl losing her powers was the end point of the poisoning?" Alex asked with anger becoming more evident in her voice. "No Alex, the end point of the poisoning was the death of SuperGirl."
Dr. Wilson continued, "If this incident, the shooting, had not happened, the Kryptonite poison would have slowly killed her and the death would have been very painful. I know you don't look at this moment as a blessing, but it is because with her getting shot we were also able to discover the cause of her powers going out and hopefully we will be able to clear the poison out of her system. You have been given a chance to find what is poisoning Kara and getting rid of it. I would suggest you start with her apartment."
"When can we see her?" Alex asked. "Right now I need Superman and she needs a blood transfusion. After the transfusion you can see her….she's going to be in a lot of pain, especially till her powers come back and she starts to heal. I'm also hoping that Superman's blood might give her cells a boost in the way of the healing process." "I'll get Superman" J'onn said to Alex as he rubbed her shoulder, you stay here with Kara."
Alex and Clark were on each side of Kara's bed. Kara's complexion was pale. "Kryptonite poisoning?" Clark asked "who would dream up such a thing and who would know how to make it into a liquid and dilute it enough so that it slowly poisoned her. Who would know how to control the quantity needed to do it slowly and did you say she was ingesting it?"
"I'm angry too Clark – but we need to think with calm heads right now. One thing I do know for sure, we can't let Kara go back to her apartment until we go through it thoroughly to find what is poisoning her."
Suddenly Alex felt Kara's hand move…it squeezed Alex's but with very little strength. Slowly Kara opened her eyes and grimaced in pain. Her body tensed from what seemed like a wave of pain coursing through her. "Just hold on Kara, the pain will subside, just squeeze my hand and breathe" Alex softly said as she squeezed Kara's hand back to let her know she was there. Finally Kara's body relaxed a little as she slowly reopened her eyes.
"Alex…..Clark, where am I?" "You are at the DEO Kara" Clark responded. Looking worriedly at her sister Alex asked "Do you remember getting shot Kara?" "Yes, I remember"….gritting her teeth until another wave of pain passed, Kara asked "the bullet – was it a kryptonite bullet?" "No" Alex answered. "It was not… it had a lead core – no kryptonite." "Then how?" This time Clark responded, "seems someone's been slowly poisoning you with kryptonite to lessen your powers, eventually…" "Eventually what?" Kara asked. Alex responded, "eventually it would have killed you." Kara was silent.
"Hey Alex, how is Kara doing?" Maggie asked as Alex grabbed a cup of coffee. "She's in a lot of pain Mags and she refuses to let the doctor's know because – she doesn't like needles." Maggie nodded with understanding "She's not use to something piercing her skin – so I would imagine for her the stick of a needle at any time presents a dread that we can't even imagine." "Yeah, but at least with her powers out we can use a regular needle instead of a Kryptonite coated needle" Alex said trying to convince herself that in some small way the two needles differed in the pain they inflicted. Maggie saw the worry in Alex's eyes. "What do you say we wait till tonight when Kara's asleep and go to her apartment and have a look around?" "You were reading my mind Maggie. It's a date."
Alex and Maggie entered Kara's room where Clark was still sitting with Kara holding her hand. "Hey Clark, why don't you go get something to eat – we'll watch Kara and if there is any change I'll come get you." Clark nodded, "she'll be okay though, won't she Alex? She looks so pale and she's in a lot of pain – can't they give her something to ease the pain?" They are going to hook a morphine pump to her line so they won't have to stick her with any more needles – also that way she can have control over the pain medication" Alex said trying to reassure Clark. "Yeah, if she will use it….I know my cousin and she can be stubborn. I'll just grab a cup of coffee and a snack and be right back up." Clark reluctantly let go of Kara's hand and left the room.
Alex looked up again as Dr. Wilson entered the room wheeling a morphine pump with him. "This should help with the pain Alex but as you already know, it's not going to take it completely away." "I know" Alex replied still looking at Kara.
Maggie tried to get Alex to think about something which would divert her attention some. "Who do you think would try to poison Kara and who has access to her apartment to put something in it that would do the job so thoroughly?" "Good questions Maggie – the way I've been thinking – it has to be something that she is being continuously exposed to – if she is ingesting it, then it would have to be a food of some type….meaning….." Maggie took over the conversation "meaning that we need to test every bit of food in her apartment."
Alex caught a glimpse of movement in her eyes as Kara awoke in pain. She squeezed both Alex and Maggie's hands. "Honey I know it hurts" Alex stated as she rubbed Kara's head but hopefully your powers will return soon and you'll start to heal faster – I just need you to hold on until then."
Alex grabbed the remote for the morphine pump. She placed it in Kara's hand. "Whenever you feel pain, press this button and the pain will ease." All Kara could do was grimace until the wave of pain going through her body at that moment eased off. Turning to Alex with tears in her eyes "what does the button do?" Alex repeated, "It controls this morphine pump which dispenses pain medication to you when you press it." Maggie squeezed Kara's hand "best thing Danvers is that there are no needles."
Alex and Maggie both felt better when they saw Kara slightly nod her head and grin at what Maggie had just said. Kara started to respond to what Maggie had said when another wave of pain moved through her body – grimacing and trying not to scream, this time she was unsuccessful – MonEl heard the scream as he entered the room door and saw Alex and Maggie holding Kara down.
MonEl quickly called Dr. Wilson who had already heard the scream and was on his way with an injection that would help put Kara to sleep and ease some of the pain until the morphine pump had a chance to work. While Alex and Maggie kept a firm grip on Kara, Dr. Wilson proceeded to inject the medication – after several seconds Alex and Maggie felt Kara's body relax enough where they no longer needed to hold her down. A few seconds more and she was out.
"She can't continue to go through that kind of pain" Alex said between wiping tears from her eyes. "We'll keep her out until the severity of the pain decreases some. We misjudged just how much pain your sister would be in. I'm good in Kryptonian physiology but there are things that I'm still learning. I'm sorry, I should have gauged the pain better." Maggie who by this time was hugging Alex trying to console her, just nodded at what the doctor said. "C'mon Alex, now would be a good time to go through the apartment – we can't stop her pain, but we sure as in hell can try to keep it from happening again." Alex looked at Maggie and nodded with anger in her eyes – Maggie was right, they could prevent it from happening again. "Mon El, could you keep an eye on Kara till Clark returns?" "I intend to spend the night here – you guys go check the apartment, I'll call you if something happens."
Chapter 7
"Your sister is a clean freak" Maggie laughed as she and Alex took the first pass through Kara's apartment. "Nothing's out of place." "It's a Kryptonian thing" Alex said with a smile. "Do you think you should have called your mom?" Maggie asked with concern. "I'm trying not to – it would only upset Kara – she is trying to convince my mom as it is that she is capable of living on her own." Maggie nodded.
"I guess the best place to start is your sister's kitchen." Alex nodded in agreement. "I've got three cases of vials so we can take a sample of every single thing in this kitchen to see if it contains any trace amounts of kryptonite – this is not going to be an easy job, I would imagine the way my sister can eat that there is a lot of food in the pantry." Maggie laughed and then thought "what about the canned foods?" "We can test the outside of the cans for kryptonite tracings, both the label and the can" Alex replied. "Well" Maggie said with an energetic smile "let's get started."
Having spent the night in Kara's apartment, next day Maggie helped Alex carry the boxes of vials into her DEO lab. "I don't envy you Danvers – you got a lot of testing on your plate to do." "It'll be worth it if I can find out what's poisoning my little sister." Maggie kissed Alex goodbye – "hang in their Alex and let Kara know I'll be by to visit her later today." "I'm going to visit her now, I'll let her know. Be careful out there."
Alex opened the door to Kara's room and was pleasantly surprised to see Kara sitting partially up in the bed, holding Clark's hand. She looked at the morphine pump and noticed Kara had the remote in her other hand with her thumb positioned over the button. Her eyes were closed.
Alex whispered to Clark "How is she doing?" "Better Alex, the doctor said they have cleared most of the Kryptonite out of her system and he's hoping that once it is all cleared her powers with the help of the sun emitters will come back and help her to heal faster." "Is she still in a lot of pain?" Clark nodded solemnly, "yes – but I have convinced her to use the button to decrease the pain – but like Doctor Wilson said before, it doesn't relieve all of the pain. Did you and Maggie uncover anything in her apartment?" "No, not yet, but we did get samples of every single food that Kara had in the apartment, we even made sure she didn't have any candy or anything in her room that she might have been munching on. I've got all the samples in my lab and I intend to make sure that tests are started on every single sample today."
Winn walked through the door. "I couldn't help hearing your last part Alex. I may be able to help you with that. I could write a program that would have a computer automatically in assembly line fashion go through every sample that you load into it and test it for any trace amounts of kryptonite. You could spend the morning loading samples of all the foods and the computer will do the rest." Alex gave Winn a hug – "Kara has a big family Winn, I am so happy you are a part of it."
It had been a week – Kara was now off the morphine pump and sitting up in bed. Thanks to Superman's blood her powers had returned quicker than expected, however, J'onn had decided to keep Kara at the DEO until she was fully back to normal and the results from the tests on her apartment had come back.
Kara heard voices and slowly opened her eyes to see Alex and Maggie sitting on each side of her bed. "How are you doing Danvers?" Maggie said with a cheerful grin. "Much better today Maggie – thanks for asking Ms. Cheerful." Kara turned to see Alex also in a cheerful mood sitting on her bed. What's the cheerful event that I don't know about?" Kara asked still a little stiff from being in bed so much.
"All the tests from all the samples we took from your apartment came back negative. Even all the scans that we took of the furniture and sheets and bedspread came back negative." "…and that means what?" Kara asked. "It means that whatever was poisoning you is not there anymore. Since Dr. Wilson is sure it was ingested, it means you probably ate most of what was slowly poisoning you or you threw what was remaining away – either way it's no longer in your apartment and thanks to Dr. Wilson it's no longer in your system."
Kara smiled. "That's great. Then that means I can go back to my apartment now and recuperate at home." Alex's face turned serious. "Yes you can recuperate at home since you have your powers back and your wounds have healed and physically you are okay." "But?" "But you need to let someone know if you feel the least bit different in any way – we need to know." "You think whoever tried to poison me will try it again?" "I wouldn't be surprised if they did Kara – also, for the first couple of weeks, I want you to keep a diary of everything you eat." "You have got to be kidding me." "No, I'm not Kara – this is serious and you're not getting out of here unless you promise under those conditions." Kara let out a sigh – "okay you win, I'll keep a diary. " "Okay let's get you out of here."
Chapter 8
Three weeks had past and Kara continued to keep a diary of everything she ate. "Going on notebook number three" Kara thought to herself as she opened the page of a fresh new notebook. Kara noticed that her appetite had started to dwindle in the last week – "probably the result of seeing how much I eat in a day." Laughing, she notated what she was eating and put the notebook away.
Alex walked into the café and upon seeing Kara immediately walked over and sat down. "So what number notebook are you on, number eight?" "Oh, very funny sis." "Well, I'm just happy to see you eating again. Have you noticed any differences in appetite or anything?" "No – not really." Alex didn't like the sound of that 'not really' and was getting ready to question Kara about it when her phone rang – "DEO, staff meeting, all hands, c'mon and I'll give you a ride."
Late that evening, Kara sat on the couch looking at a movie, too tired to change into regular clothes – besides it was chilly and the cape kept her warm. Suddenly she started to feel nauseous. "What the heck is going on? I don't get nauseous." Not wanting to create a false alarm, Kara decided that a good night's sleep would probably solve her problem. Getting up from the sofa she was overcome with dizziness and sat back down.
Kara started to panic – "no this can't be happening. Alex – gotta call Alex….have to find my phone." Looking at the kitchen area Kara spied her phone on the table. Getting up from the sofa she fell face down on the floor, her legs no longer supporting her weight. "No this can't be happening, not again." Kara found the strength to drag her body to where the phone laid on the table. She turned over on her back so she faced the table and reaching up from the floor found herself being thankful that the phone was right on the table's edge.
"Please be home….please be home Alex." She quickly dialed Alex's number. "Hey Kara what's up?" "Alex, it's happening again!" "What's happening again?" "I can't stand and I feel nauseous and dizzy." "Listen to me, just stay right where you are – don't move – Maggie and I are on our way." "Alex don't hang up…..please, I need to hear a voice." "Listen to me, I'm not going to hang up, Maggie will drive and I will talk. We are headed to the car now."
Alex continued to talk to Kara except after awhile Kara was not responding back. Alex's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest and the trip to Kara's apartment seemed like it was taking forever. Finally they were at Kara's door and Alex put the key in and opened the door not knowing what to expect. Not seeing anything they walked towards the kitchen. There on the floor laid SuperGirl.
Maggie and Alex rushed over and got on their knees. "She's still breathing" Alex said trying to keep herself calm. "Kara….Kara, can you hear me honey?" Kara's eyes slowly opened after several seconds, Kara recognized the face bending over her, "Alex….I…I don't feel so good." "I know, just hold on." Alex looked at Maggie, "stay with her Mags while I call for help." Maggie sat cross legged on the floor taking hold of Kara's hand, "hang on Kara." Brushing a hair from Kara's face, Maggie continued "we've got to find a way to stop these things from happening to you." Alex walked back over, "they're on the way."
Alex joined Maggie in a cross legged position on the floor. Kara was having a hard time catching her breath, "Alex…this is worse than before, I can't even support my weight – I tried to walk to the phone, but I couldn't and…" "Sssshhh, relax now and don't worry about it. We're here now and nothing is going bother you. We'll get you back to the DEO and you'll be okay….you've got to be okay." Alex looked at Maggie – "maybe it's time I called my mom."
Alex had alerted J'onn about Kara's condition and he promised to have everything waiting for Kara when she arrived at the DEO. Pacing back and forth he started to remember his first encounter with SuperGirl and how she slowly stole his heart away. Both Alex and SuperGirl were very much his daughters. SuperGirl with that cheery grin always smiling and always seeing the good in people. Now someone, somewhere was being relentless in their pursuit of her demise. J'onn felt anger.
The whooshing of the doors opening at the entrance grabbed his attention. He saw the stretcher followed by Alex and Maggie. Kara had fell back into unconsciousness during the ride to the Agency. "How is she Alex?" "I'm not sure J'onn, she's unresponsive, she's lost the ability to walk, has nausea and dizziness. This is worse than before. This is like they really set out to destroy her quickly."
Dr. Wilson ran over to the stretcher. "Someone really has it in for your sister. Let's get her to the medbay and take some blood – do you know whether she lost her powers?" "I….I don't know." Dr. Wilson looked at Alex and walked over putting his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Alex, we're going to run some thorough tests and I should have some answers to you before the night is out." "Thank you Paul" Alex said as she wiped the tears that were trickling down her cheeks.
Maggie looked at Alex – "hey, it's going to be awhile before he comes back here with news, this would be a good time to call your mom." "Yeah, you're right, I'll be back." Alex slowly took the phone out of her pocket trying to figure out how she would tell her mom what was currently happening to Kara, what had happened in the past, and why she wasn't notified sooner. Alex slowly dialed the number as she thought to herself, "here goes nothing."
Alex slowly walked back over to where Maggie was standing outside of the testing area of the medical center inside the DEO. "Did you call your Mom?" "Yeah, I….I called her." "And?" "And she wasn't very happy that I didn't call her the first time it happened – but her main concern is Kara's current condition and who is out to kill her. However, since Clark is on his way to National City, he will fly and bring my mom here quicker than if she took a plane. She has flown with Kara in the past so she's use to it. They will both be here sometime tonight." "You did the right thing Alex. If Kara has a hard time pulling through this….you'll know you did the right thing by calling Eliza." Alex looked over at the doors to the medical entrance – what's taking so long Maggie?" "Better they do a thorough job and come back with facts, then to rush it and make guesses as to what's happening." Alex nodded in agreement.
J'onn walked into the waiting room with several cups of coffee – he was followed by Winn, James and MonEl. Walking over towards Alex, he handed Alex, Maggie, Eliza and Clark each a cup. He was about to take a seat when Dr. Wilson entered the room.
"Well doc, how is she?" J'onn asked with impatience. "She has lost her powers again due to severe kryptonite poisoning. This time evidently the strength of the kryptonite was increased, that is why it worked quicker and with devastating results." Alex ran her fingers through her hair "bottom line Paul…what's the bottom line?" "If you hadn't gotten her here tonight, she would have been dead by tomorrow morning. As it is we are cutting it close. She has lost the ability to move her lower extremities. She is on a medical ventilator which right now is doing the breathing for her. She is undergoing hemodialysis as we are trying to flush the kryptonite out of her body. Right now, she is dying and if the dialysis doesn't work….I'm sorry Alex, but if you are a believer in prayer, this would be the time to do it. If she makes it through the night, then there's a chance….if she makes it through the night."
"When can I see my daughter?" Eliza asked unable to stop the steady flow of tears running down her face. "You can see her now – she's unconscious but it's my belief she will know you are here." Eliza walked over to Alex and grabbed her hand – Alex cried - "Mom, I'm so sorry." Eliza gave her daughter a hug "this is not your fault sweetie – and don't give up hope. I know my daughter, your sister, and she will make it through the night if it is at all possible. Let's go keep her company." Slowly they all walked through the room door. There she was deathly pale with the ventilator doing the breathing for her and her blood going through the dialysis machine. Alex sat on one side of the bed and Eliza on the other side. The remaining group dispersed throughout the room prepared to stay the entire night…and they waited.
Chapter 9
Alex was on her fourth cup of coffee and looked at the time. "4:00 AM" – looking over at her mom who had her head near Kara's fast asleep. Next she glanced over at Maggie, Clark, MonEl, James, and Winn, all still there, all having dozed off to sleep. She looked at J'onn who gave her a positive nod, "she made it through the night Alex. Bless her, our girl made it through the night." Alex found herself crying uncontrollably – Eliza stirred, then looked over at Alex. "Alex? Is Kara…?" "No mom, she made it through the night." Eliza also started to cry uncontrollably. Clark having heard the outcome smiled as he walked over to the bed. "Little flight partner – you made it." Alex felt an arm on her shoulder, turning she saw Maggie smiling at her – "I told you young Danvers is strong, like the rest of her family" then giving Alex a big hug "love, I am so happy for you." MonEl, James, Winn cleared their throats trying to hide their tears of joy. Kara still was deathly pale and not moving but she had survived the night – she now had a chance.
Dr. Wilson walked in. "Well, as you all know she made it through the night – now there's a good chance of recovery but I still can't guarantee anything. It will still take time to clear the Kryptonite completely from her body and her powers will take time to return, so healing….well without her healing powers the rate of recovery is hard to determine. I've instructed my team to bring the emitters into the room in the hope of recharging her kryptonian cells. I guess what I'm saying is don't stop your prayers, our girl is still not out of the woods yet – but making it through the night was a start."
Five days had passed and Alex and Eliza only left Kara's side to shower, change clothes and eat. One bright improvement was Kara was back to breathing on her own. The Kryptonite had been flushed out of her system but she still was not awake. Eliza sat next to Kara's bed reading through the medical charts while Alex looked at the readings on the machines in the room.
"No, no…get away from me!" Alex quickly ran over to Kara's bed. "Sweetie?" Eliza said as she gently took Kara's hand – "Sweetie?" Kara's eyes slowly started to open. Alex felt her heart beating fast. Kara focused her eyes and looked at Eliza – "mom, what are you doing here?" "Oh sweetie, I'll always be here when you need me." Kara heard a sniffle, turning her head she saw Alex. "Kara – you had us so scared– how are you feeling?" "Sleepy, very sleepy." Kara looked at both Eliza and Alex –"you both look so tired – have you been here all night?" Alex smiled, "you mean nights with an s." Kara looked confused.
Alex continued, "Kara, do you remember what happened?" "Yeah, I remember calling you and Maggie – I remember feeling funny – I remember….." Suddenly Kara started hyperventilating. Eliza grabbed her hand, "calm down Kara and breathe slowly." After several minutes Kara regained control of her breathing but looked anxiously down at the foot of her bed. "My legs – why can't I move my legs?" Alex felt like a bomb had exploded in her head. Eliza brushed back the hair from Kara's face – "I've been reading your charts, give it time Kara – you still have not gotten your powers back, so give it time." "But mom, I…" Kara drifted back off to sleep.
"Mom, it is only temporary, right, her legs, it's only temporary?" "Yes, I do believe it is Alex. Once Kara gets her powers back, she should regain the power to move her legs. There is no reason why she shouldn't. Her tests are not showing any nerve damage – just give it time. Her body has been through a lot. We're use to Kara healing fast but I'm afraid without her powers, fast is not an option."
"In a way mom that's good." Eliza frowned "Alex?" "What I mean mom, is that someone is trying to kill Kara. At least while she's in here we can do some digging – if we can't find who it is, the next time may kill her." Eliza nodded – "didn't you tell me you asked her to keep diaries of what she was eating – that might be a start. How about we go through the diaries?"
Maggie appeared at the door. Alex smiled as she walked into Kara's room. "She was awake Maggie." Maggie gave Alex a big hug. "So she remembered what happened?" "Yes" Alex answered with a hint of worry in her voice. "What else Alex aren't you telling me?" "She couldn't move her legs Maggie." Maggie looked over at Eliza with worry in her eyes. Eliza spoke up "don't worry you two – like I told Alex, it will take time, there is no nerve damage, at least none showing in the test results….but when she wakes up, I would like to do a pin prick test on her to see if she has feeling in her legs." "Let me know when you do it Mom – I want to be here." Eliza smiled, "I wouldn't think of doing it without you."
Maggie asked, "I heard you two talking about her diaries as I was coming in the room – anything I can help with – I have some vacation time coming up – thought we could use it to look into who is after your sister." Eliza smiled, "you two were made for each other." Alex and Maggie looked at each other grinning.
Alex and Maggie had gone to Alex's lab to retrieve the notebooks containing Kara's foods. On their way Alex had filled the team in on Kara's condition. Returning to Kara's room, Alex used her foot to open the door completely since both of them had their hands full with Kara's food diaries and Alex also had some physiology text books in tow.
"Your daughter has an appetite Eliza" Maggie laughed as she came through the door. "I get hungry" came a weak voice from within the room. Alex looked over and saw that Kara was awake and her mom had propped her up in bed with three pillows. Alex quickly placed the items in her hands on the table and ran over and gave her sister a kiss as she wiped tears from her eyes. "Hey Alex, don't cry." "I thought I was losing my baby sister, what do you think I'm going to do?" Alex leaned over and gave Kara another long hug.
"How do you feel? When you woke up earlier you seemed disoriented." "I'm feeling better Alex" then looking over at Maggie, Kara continued "can't you stop her from worrying so much?" Maggie smiled, "I would, but I was worried too – great to see you awake Kara." Eliza interrupted, before we start going through the diaries, just want to check and see what sensations you can feel on your legs – are you up to that sweetheart?" "Sure mom, whatever you think is best."
Eliza still felt such happiness at Kara now calling her mom. Maggie and Alex both knew it and couldn't help but smile at seeing Eliza's face light up every time. Eliza walked to the foot of Kara's bed and exposed both legs. Alex and Maggie stood on each side of the bed to offer support and secondly to make sure that Kara's view was blocked from seeing when Eliza was going to test her with the pin. Eliza spoke "Kara, I need you to tell me when you feel me on your legs, either one. If you do feel anything, let me know if it feels blunt or sharp." "I don't like pin pricks Alex" Kara said nervously. "I know hon but it's a necessary test and it's not bad." Eliza started – Kara never flinched, never said a word. Alex and Maggie looked at each other with worry showing in both their faces. Eliza started to go up the leg – it wasn't until she got past the thigh area that Kara finally flinched at the feel of the pin prick."
Eliza replaced the cover over Kara's legs. "Okay sweetie, I'm finished." "I thought you were going to test the legs – I didn't feel you test my legs" Kara said nervously. "Relax Kara, it'll be okay, right now the results are normal for what you've been through sweetie – let's just wait for your powers to return and then we'll do the test again." "Mom- I will be able to walk again, won't I?" "There's no nerve damage that I can see on the test results – let's not worry until you get your powers back."
Maggie tried to lift the mood of the room – "Hey we've got a lot of notebooks to get through – when you get well Kara we got to address that appetite of yours." Alex also tried to brighten Kara's spirits – "How about you tell us your favorite sweet and/or food and we get it for you?" Kara smiled. My favorite food would be pot-stickers. My favorite cookies don't come again until next month.
Chapter 10
You could hear a pin drop in Kara's room. Eliza was first to ask "what do you mean they don't come again until next month – what kind of cookies don't come until next month?" Kara smiled, I joined a cookie of the month club and boy are they ever good. I eat them all usually the first day I get them." Alex grabbed Maggie's hand and asked Kara "and what do you do with the box after you eat them?" "What do you think I do with an empty box – I throw it away in the trash." Alex continued, "So in essence, it wouldn't be in your apartment on a normal basis?" "Guess not."
Maggie asked, "When is your next shipment due?" "What day and date is it?" Kara asked. Alex pulled down the calendar from the wall visually showing Kara the date and what week of the month it was falling on. "Usually the box comes around the third week of the month." "That would have been last week" Eliza said. "Yeah, they are probably still in my mailbox at the apartment." Before Kara could say anything else, Alex and Maggie left the room. Kara looked over at Eliza – "mom, did I say something wrong?" "No sweetie, you may have just provided the answer to a very important question."
Chapter 11
"Can't you drive this car any faster?" "Cool your heels Alex, getting us killed won't help anything" Maggie replied as they pulled into the parking lot of Kara's apartment building. Alex was in full focus. Looking up Kara's apartment number on the mailboxes, she used Kara's key to open the slot. Sure enough inside her mailbox was another key to open one of the lower bigger mailboxes which held parcels. Alex held her breath and turned the key – there it was, a box sent by express mail addressed to Kara Danvers. "Let's get this back to the lab and test it for Kryptonite."
Alex had filled J'onn in on what they were up to and Winn had the program ready to run for the kryptonite testing as soon as Alex and Maggie walked through the entrance. Alex took the box into her lab and with gloves on her hands prepared samples for testing. Placing them into the computer, Winn started the programming. "How long Winn?" "About an hour." J'onn could sense Alex's impatience. Everyone could.
Eliza came down and joined the watch since Kara had dozed back off to sleep. After about seventy minutes, Winn turned to the group "Bulls eye! - Kryptonite is written all over these babies." Alex seethed with anger. "Cookies. Cookie of the month club. How friggen innocent, to hide such hideousness in a simple cookie." "Alex, sweetie, calm down." "How can I calm down mom – my sister was almost killed because she loves cookies!" Maggie tried to divert Alex's thoughts, "let's go see what additional information we can get from your sister. There's nothing we can do about what has happened but we can stop it from happening again. Breathe Alex…just breathe." Alex let out a breath, "you're right of course – let's go see my sister." "I'll go with you" Eliza said and she got up from her seat.
Kara felt someone gently shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes. "Alex – everything okay?" "Yeah Kara – listen, Maggie and I need to ask you some questions and I need you to think real hard and make sure you answer them completely – no answer is too long and every detail is important." "Okay Alex, sure, but what's this all about?" Kara asked as she tried to sit up but not being able to move her legs wasn't making it an easy task.
Eliza walked over and adjusted the pillows and helped Kara sit further up in the bed. Alex started, "Who first told you about the cookie of the month club?" "The waitress in the café that I eat at – she told me how good they were. She gave me their address and their phone number." "Does this waitress have a name?" "Sure, it's Nicole…I don't know her last name." Maggie took over the questioning. "How long have you known Nicole?" "About three months." "Did you try the phone number or did you just write to the company – in essence Kara, how did you first contact the company to start your subscription?" "I called their number – they have a great customer service. The woman on the phone was so polite and started my subscription right away."
Alex took a deep breath, "Kara, did it ever occur to you to look the company up on the internet to see if they were legit?" "Sure, I did do that and a very nice website came up. It gave their history and what they were about." "Do you know anyone else who gets cookies from this place?" "Not right now, when I called they informed me that they were still working on a small scale but wanted to see how receptive people were regarding the taste of their cookies." "Do you still have the website address and the phone number?" "Sure, it's in my wallet." "Did all the packages come express mail and did you ever receive a tracking number notice?" "Yes – in my email – although I did delete them except for this last package – that one should still be in my email inbox."
"I need your password to get into your computer system Kara and I need the password to your email." "Sure Alex – hey, can we finish this up later, my head is really starting to hurt." "How long have you had a headache?" Alex asked with worry on her face. "I don't know, I guess for a couple of hours." Eliza took Kara's hand, "did you have it before I did the test?" "No – it started after the test." Alex kissed Kara's forehead, "no worries, you close your eyes and get some rest."
Alex and Eliza stepped out the door. Maggie stayed to keep an eye on Kara. "What do you think the headache signifies mom?" "A return of feeling – sensations. Kara doesn't have her powers so she is feeling the headache. When she has her powers she doesn't get headaches or at least she doesn't feel headaches." "You think this is a good sign that the feeling in her legs might return?" "Not sure, but one thing I do know, if you're looking for me for the next several hours, I will be right here with Kara. With sensations starting to return, I don't know what kind of pain she might be in." Alex nodded –"Maggie and I will be checking out this cookie company." "Okay – be careful Alex." "Always mom."
Chapter 12
"Winn, can you bring up Kara's e-mail account and get into it if I give you the password?" "Sure." Alex handed Winn a slip of paper. "Do you know which email company she is with?" "It's all on the paper." J'onn approached. "Did you get any additional information from Kara?" "Yeah….yeah I did." "What's wrong Alex?" "Just worried, Kara had a headache that she didn't have before, just worried." J'onn put his hand on Alex's shoulder, "we all are – but hopefully we will remedy the situation of this happening again."
"I'm in!" Winn said happily. Maggie walked up to his screen. "Look for an email from this express company providing a tracking number to Kara." "Ditto – it's right here. Want me to hack into this express company's computer and find out everything on this number?" Maggie grinned, "and find out everything about the express company." Winn smiled, "give me about thirty minutes."
"According to what I'm seeing, it is a legit express company. As for the innocent little company making these cookies, it is located at 1483 Chester Avenue. I checked, there is a functioning company listed as being there. It is a small one story building and it is definitely the location where the express delivery company has been picking up the packages which have then been going to Kara. I also hacked into the system for the café that Kara frequents. They do have a Nicole Brightman who just started working there three months ago. "Excellent job" Mr. Schott –this just might earn you a raise in pay." Winn grinned from ear to ear.
Alex was in deep thought mode, "J'onn, my fear is if we question Nicole she will warn whoever is running this cookie company. If we go first to the company, they will warn Nicole and she will disappear. I hate to ask for DEO agents but…." "Let me put your mind at ease Alex" J'onn replied, "SuperGirl is an agent of the DEO, we protect our family – these agents are here to assist you in any way they can. What do you need?" Alex gave J'onn a smile of relief.
"First, we need to see when Nicole is on duty – and make sure she has definitely shown up for work. Next we need the hours of the cookie factory. If I could have several agents storm the factory at the same time that Maggie and I go and question Nicole – neither one can warn the other without us being there." Maggie smiled "I like your plan Alex." "I do too" J'onn stated, however, "we need to make sure that when we storm the factory that Agents block all entrances so no one escapes.
Mr. Schott do they list an owner for this company?" "I knew you would ask me that question – his name is Samuel Cutler M.D, Ph.D." J'onn was surprised, "Why would someone with those credentials be in charge of a cookie company? Bring up his bio Mr. Schott and Alex get your mom up here, she is famous in the science field and maybe she has heard of Dr. Cutler."
"Did you say Dr. Samuel Cutler?" Eliza asked as she approached J'onn. "Yes – have you heard of him?" "Everyone in the field has heard of him. A genius in the field of both human and alien physiology. His knowledge is vast and he is well respected. You must be mistaken if you have him listed as the owner of a cookie company – it can't be the same person."
Winn pulled up the information he found on screen including Dr. Cutler's picture. Looking at the picture, Eliza was first to speak, "It is him….it is actually him." Alex pulled her fingers through her hair. "This makes no sense, why would a well-respected physician be the owner of a cookie company that has kryptonite laced cookies. Why would he target SuperGirl?" Eliza looked worried, "one thing for sure, If anyone could liquefy Kryptonite and control the concentration and know how it would affect a Kryptonian, it would be Cutler."
J'onn turned to Winn, "Mr. Schott, bring up an employee listing for this cookie company." Winn ran his hands over several computer keys and brought the list on screen. "Run a match listing, with both first and last names of their employees with the Fort Rozz listing of prisoners for all matches." The screen stopped on one match – Kardon Hollister. "Now run through the HR profiles in the cookie company's database and see what information they have on that employee – specifically I'm interested in a company picture since bio and first or last name can be fictitious."
Again, Winn ran his fingers over the keyboard. Alex let out a gasp. "Alex – what's wrong?" Eliza asked. J'onn responded, "there is our answer. You see Eliza – Kardon is a Fort Rozz prisoner we picked up several weeks ago, in fact he was brought back here by Supergirl and MonEl." Alex interrupted, "only we evidently didn't get him off the streets quick enough – he has been plotting this revenge for a while." "I still don't understand" Eliza said with concern in her voice. Alex continued, "you see mom, it was Alura Zor-El, Kara's mom that imprisoned him." "That would give him a reason to kill SuperGirl." "Yes" Eliza said, "but that still doesn't explain how Dr. Cutler got involved." J'onn took over the conversation. "Kardon has the power to read minds and control them. Reading Dr. Cutler's mind he was able to ascertain what type of knowledge he possessed and was able to obtain that Dr. Cutler, as you yourself said Eliza, was more than capable of liquefying Kryptonite and knowing how to provide various effective concentrations. He then, through mind control was able to get Dr. Cutler to do it." "Wouldn't that mean that even though you captured this Kardon, he is still controlling Cutler's mind?" Eliza asked. "No, according to Fort Rozz records, he has to be in close vicinity of the person he is controlling for at least 4 hours within a 24 hour period to maintain control – thus his reason for taking a job at the cookie company so he could be near Cutler. He lost that control after we put him away."
"Then how come Cutler hasn't questioned why he is the owner of a cookie company if Kardon no longer has control?" Eliza asked. Alex snapped her fingers, "because Nicole must also be a Marchite – she could continue with the mind control by making sure that she fulfills the needed time to be with Cutler. Winn, was Kardon the only Marchite in Fort Rozz?" "No" Winn replied, "according to the records Kardon was married." "And I'll bet that our Nicole (which isn't her real name) is the happy bride" Alex said with anger." "One last question" Eliza asked, "How did Kardon and Nicole know that Supergirl and Kara are the same person?" J'onn smiled, "that's an easy one, like I said Marchites are famous for being able to read minds that includes the minds of Kryptonians. Nicole being a waitress was close enough to Kara to be able to read her mind and pick up on her secret." Maggie smiled, "there attempt to make themselves come across like a legit company seems to be their undoing by placing their pictures in a company database – how ironic."
"Okay" J'onn said holstering an additional weapon on his belt, I will lead the charge on the company. Agents will cover all entrances of the building at the same time so that no one gets away. Alex, you, Maggie, MonEl will go to the café; however, I will make sure all entrances are covered by DEO agents. We need to time this just right so that we ensure Cutler and Nicole are both present in their locations. Also, everyone and I mean everyone in the cookie company will be cuffed and brought back here until cleared by DEO background checks, including fingerprints and Fort Rozz records in case any other criminals have used this factory for a hide out. Mr. Schott – you heard the plan, now provide me viable times for carrying it out." "I'm on it" Winn replied - "this is for you Kara, this is for you."
Chapter 13
J'onn couldn't help but smile – the operation had gone as planned. Alex's team had successfully captured Nicole and J'onn's team had captured every single employee that worked for the company – even the one employee who Winn had discovered had called out sick was brought in for a background check based on fingerprints. Dr. Cutler was in medbay with Dr. Wilson examining him – he would be held for not one but two days to ensure all mental links were broken.
Nicole (whose real name was Nardia) was put in a separate cell from her husband but made from the same material where their mind links could not work.
"What's the status update Mr. Schott?" "Two out of five of the employees are indeed Fort Razz escapees...the remaining three are human, with no criminal records and their minds were being controlled by Kardon and Nardia. "Well those three will also be the guests of the DEO for two days to ensure all mind control links are broken. Good job Mr. Schott. I'm going to check on our girl and see how she's doing."
Chapter 14
Several days had passed, Alex hadn't filled Kara in on what happened due to her developing a fever. Eliza continued to sit by Kara's side hoping, praying her powers would come back and that her daughter would be able to walk again.
"How's the fever?" Alex asked her mom as she approached Kara's bed. "It's up another two points. She also has another headache – I don't know Alex, her condition seems to be going backwards and her powers are not returning." Eliza looked extremely tired and frustrated but Alex sensed there was something else.
Alex approached her mom, "there's something you're not telling me…what is it?" Eliza sat back in her chair. "When your father and I first heard of Superman losing his powers, together we started working on a chemical compound for Clark to help him regain his powers quicker if he lost them. We never got a chance to try the compound on Clark because just as we were finishing it up, your father was taken from us. I completed the work on it myself– but it's untested."
Alex was silent for a minute. "Do you think it would work on Kara?" "That's just it Alex, I don't know and I don't know what the compound might do to Kara." "But it's worth the risk mom." "Is it Alex…is it worth the risk? What if it causes something horrible to happen? I would die if I did anything to harm her." Alex got down on her knees next to Eliza. "Mom" Alex said softly, "you said yourself her condition is reversing, and she's getting worse. If there's a chance, Kara would want you to take it. I know your knowledge of Kryptonian physiology and I know that you and Dad were un-beatable when it came to that knowledge. I have faith in you and so does Kara – at least let me have a look at the compound and that way you have another opinion." Eliza put her face in her hands, then looking up at Alex, "I suppose it couldn't hurt to run the compound by you – Kara's sleeping and I can get a nurse to watch her while we go to the lab."
"The molecular structure is stable – theoretically it should work" Alex said after looking at her parent's paperwork on the compound. "Yes, theoretically – but I repeat Alex, it has never been actually tried." The doors to Alex's lab opened and one of the medical technicians walked in. "Dr. Danvers, thought you would like to know that your daughter's temperature has gone up again – she also seems to be confused as to where she is."
Alex looked down at her sister – Kara would mumble words but nothing that made any sense. "Her temperature can't keep climbing mom." "Alex I can't." "Dammit mom, she's getting worse – please, at least give her a fighting chance!" Eliza walked the distance between the door and Kara's bed a number of times. "Okay Alex, let's do this." Alex gave her mom a kiss – "It's better than just standing here and watching her condition deteriorate – you're doing the right thing. Tell me what you need to make this happen." Eliza took a deep breath – "okay… I need J'onn to be present since Superman is not here right now and her temperature is too dangerously high to wait for him to get here. J'onn can be here in case strength is needed to hold her down." "I'll get J'onn mom, you get the syringe and vial."
Alex had informed Maggie of what they intended to do and asked her to also be there for support, she joined Winn and MonEl in the waiting area. Dr. Wilson stood by in Kara's room with a medical team just in case they were needed. Eliza opened the container which held the vial and began filling the syringe. J'onn stood near the bed ready to hold Kara down when and if needed.
Kara was still conscious but disoriented. "This is a ventrogluteal injection Alex – so I need you to swab the area down." Alex grabbed several alcohol pads and started to rub the exposed area. Eliza stood there holding the syringe. Looking at J'onn and Alex she continued, "She has feeling in this area and I don't know how painful this injection is going to be. She can't move her legs but she has feeling and movement in the rest of her body and I need her to be as still as possible. Alex took hold of Kara's hand. J'onn stood at the head of Kara's bed keeping his hands pressed down on her shoulders. Eliza nodded her head "here it goes."
Eliza inserted the needle. Kara squeezed Alex's hand tightly closing her eyes. Alex started to softly rub Kara's arm with her other hand. With reluctance, Eliza pushed down on the plunger. Kara's upper body tensed as Eliza kept the pressure on the plunger. J'onn only applied the pressure needed to keep Kara still – Kara gritted her teeth and squeezed Alex's hand harder. "Ahhhh – stop! Take it out!" Eliza continued to inject the compound and J'onn continued to press harder on her shoulders to keep Kara in place. Finally Eliza pulled the needle out. She placed the syringe on the table and softly touched Kara's head, "it's over sweetie – you did well." Now they waited.
Eliza kept time with her watch to see how long it took for any signs of improvement or decline to take place. Alex kept track of Kara's temperature readings on the monitor and noticed a decline – she held her breath – it went down another point. "Mom – the temperature readings are improving." Dr. Wilson walked over and looked at the monitor still ready with his team if needed. J'onn remained at the head of Kara's bed also ready for whatever was about to take place.
Twenty minutes had now passed. "Mom?" Eliza leaned down closer to Kara – there was no confusion or slurriness in her speech. "Mom?" "Right here sweetie." "What was in that injection – it really hurt." "I know sweetheart – how do you feel?" Alex held her breath waiting for Kara's answer. "Better – hmmm, at least I can feel my legs again."
Eliza's heart felt like it was pumping double time. She gently lifted the cover from Kara's legs. "Kara, Can you wiggle your toes for me?" "Yeah – I think so" Kara replied as she felt her strength starting to come back. "How about your right leg sweetie, can you bend it?" Kara bent her right leg. "And your left leg?" Kara proceeded to bend the left leg. "I think you have your powers back too – that's a mighty strong grip you got in your hand" Alex said with a big grin. Kara looked at Eliza, "I feel pretty good mom." Eliza grabbed Kara and gave her a big long hug as tears ran down her eyes. "Your turn" Eliza said as she turned to Alex. Alex laughed and put her arms around her baby sister. J'onn walked over to the side of Kara's bed." I think I also need a hug." "Oh, Kara said looking at J'onn, you're the answer to my question of why I couldn't move during the injection"- Kara grinned and reached her arms out giving J'onn a big hug.
Eliza looked at Kara – "get some rest sweetie, then we will get you ready for a thorough physical to make sure there are no adverse effects from the injection." "Yes," Alex said "and then after the physical we are going to have a long talk about the DEO activity that went on during your recovery and your trusting people just a little too much." Alex turned to her mother – "Dad would be proud of you mom. Now we also have a way to restore SuperGirl's powers quickly if they ever blow out again." Kara frowned - "Not unless the emitters don't work or are not available Alex – that injection really hurt." "Still Kara – it would do good to carry one on you or have one near you in case of an emergency when a light source is not available." "I guess" Kara said half-heartedly.
Chapter 15
A week had passed and SuperGirl was back at work eyeing a delicious looking donut that Winn had in his hand. "Did you get me one?" she asked. Winn laughed – "did I ever" and pulled out two iced donuts and handed them over to Kara. As her and Winn downed the donuts, J'onn and Alex grinned. "Good to have our girl back again" J'onn said. Alex looked serious, "For awhile I didn't think I would ever see her like this again." J'onn placed his hand on Alex's shoulder – "You're a good sister Alex." SuperGirl looked up from her donut "what Winn – no coffee?" Alex just smiled – just happy to have her sister back.